"What business is it? Tell us; perhaps we can help her out of it."

"Oh, no! The law has got its hand on her, and yet the poor child is as innocent as you and me."

"The devil! that's saying a good deal; but tell us what it's all about."

"You must know that my friend, who has only been in the business a little while, was formerly a servant, a lady's maid in several houses; among others she worked for a widow lady who died a little while ago.

Well, would you believe that they have taken it into their heads, in the quarter, that that lady was poisoned! That report came to the ears of the authorities; they dug up the dead woman, and it seems that the doctors say the same thing as the neighbors. So they looked into the matter, and they've arrested my friend, because she worked for the lady at that time; but the poor child is as pure as this gla.s.s of wine, I swear."

Dufresne listened attentively to Veronique's story, while Lampin toyed with the other young woman, and Edouard, who had relapsed into his reflections concerning a forgery of which he knew that he was guilty, had thrown himself into an easy-chair in a corner of the room, paying no heed to a story which did not interest him in the least.

"This affair seems to me to be a most remarkable one," said Dufresne, drawing his chair nearer to Veronique's; "but what is your friend's name?"

"Suzanne; she is a good child, on my honor, and incapable of tearing a hair from anybody's head, I don't care whose."

At the name of Suzanne, Dufresne showed signs of perturbation. But instantly recovering himself, he glanced about the room, saw that Murville was not listening, and that Lampin was busy; and he continued to question Veronique.

"It seems to me that your Suzanne will have difficulty in getting out of the sc.r.a.pe, if, as you say, this lady had no other servant than her?"

"Oh! that don't make any difference; Suzanne suspects who it was that did the job."

"Really?"

"Yes, my friend. A young man, a friend of the widow, her lover, used to come to see her; he was a gambler, a rascal, a sharper."

"All right! all right! I understand!--Well?"

"The poor woman ruined herself for the good-for-nothing!--Wait a minute, I know her name--Madame Dou--Dol------"

"No matter! no matter!" said Dufresne, abruptly interrupting Veronique, "I don't need to know her name."

"That's so, that don't make any difference about the business. However, this lady was mad over her lover, who didn't care anything for her and robbed her all he could. It seems that they had a row toward the end, and that the monster must have poisoned her to revenge himself because she proposed to tell about all his goings-on."

"That is very probable."

"Ah! men are vile dogs nowadays. They kill a woman as quick as a fly!"

"What does your Suzanne intend to do?"

"Oh! she has already told the police all this, so that they can get track of the criminal, who is now I don't know where."

"That is very wise, and I hope they will discover the truth."

Dufresne said these last words in an undertone. Despite the a.s.surance which he affected, the discomposure of his features betrayed the sensations that agitated him.

The evening came to an end earlier than usual. Edouard was anxious, and Dufresne also seemed greatly excited. They sent the two young women away. Lampin, who alone had retained his good spirits, poured out b.u.mper after b.u.mper for his friends, making fun of their gloom. Edouard drank to forget himself, but Dufresne was not inclined to bear them company, and Lampin got tipsy alone, trying in vain to make his companions laugh.

"Come, come, my boys, this won't work," he said, filling the gla.s.ses; "you're as solemn to-night as gallows-birds! I forgive Bellecour, who is only a chicken-hearted fellow anyway! But you over there--Vermontre--Courval--Dufresne--or whatever you choose to call yourself----"

"Hold your tongue, you idiot!" cried Dufresne angrily; "I forbid you to call me by that last name now!"

"You forbid me! Well, upon my soul! what a savage look! You used to call yourself that, when you lived with that poor Dolban, who thought you really loved her, and who----"

"Hold your tongue, I say, you sot!"

"Sot! ah! it sounds well for you to call me a sot, when you slept under the table last night! and when you drink punch like a hole in the ground! But never mind, I don't quarrel with my friends, and we are friends, after all. It is plain enough that you are both out of temper; Edouard on account of that sc.r.a.p of paper which worries him so, and you--Oh! as to you, I don't know what the matter is; it must be some martingale that didn't work, or some friend that took you in, or else it's--But I say, what was that Veronique was telling you, about her poisoning, and her widow, and the lover who wasn't her lover? Do you know that's as like your intimacy with old Dolban as one drop of water is like another! If it was you--Ha! ha! you're quite capable of such a game!"

"For heaven's sake, go to bed, Lampin; you see that Edouard is asleep already, and you will wake him up with your laughter."

"Well! what's the harm if I should wake him? The deuce! You're terribly careful of him to-night! But I propose to laugh, to laugh and drink; and I don't propose to go to bed, do you understand? I feel in the mood for raising the deuce! I'm sorry I let our girls go; I'm just the man to deal with 'em.--Tra la la la."

"Do you mean that you don't propose to go to bed at all to-night?"

"I will go to bed when I please, you fox. Oh! I see that you're in an ugly mood, I tell you. You are keeping something from us; Veronique's story dried you up altogether, my poor Dufresne!"

"You villain, will you hold your tongue?" cried Dufresne, seizing Lampin by the throat; he struggled, stepped back and almost fell upon Edouard, who had fallen asleep in a corner of the room, and who, being awakened with a start, glanced about him in terror, crying:

"Here they are! here they are! they have come to arrest me!"

"To arrest you," said Dufresne; "who, for G.o.d's sake?"

"Ha! ha! what fools you are!" cried Lampin, rising and trying to maintain his equilibrium; "one of them is dreaming and the other one doesn't see it!"

"Ah! it was only a dream," said Edouard, pa.s.sing his hand across his brow.

"Why, yes! you are a couple of babies; but, my boy, don't take it into your head to grasp my windpipe again, or I shall lose my temper for good and all."

"It's getting late, messieurs," said Dufresne; "I'm tired and I'm going to lie down!"

"Well, go! Our friend here will keep me company and finish up this bottle of rum."

"No, I'm going to bed too; my head is in a whirl already."

"Go to the devil! I will drink all by myself."

"Once more, Lampin, don't make so much noise; it may annoy the neighbors."

"Let the neighbors go to gra.s.s! I don't care a hang, and I'll make more noise than ever.--Tra la la."

Lampin sang at the top of his voice, as he drank a large gla.s.s of rum.

Edouard and Dufresne had taken candles, to go to their bedroom, when there came three very loud knocks at the street door.

Dufresne started back in dismay, Edouard listened, trembling from head to foot, and Lampin threw himself on a couch.

"Somebody's knocking," said Edouard, looking at Dufresne.

"Yes, I heard it."

"Well! so did I; I ain't deaf, and they knocked loud enough anyway, but what difference does it make to us? We don't expect anybody, for it's nearly three o'clock in the morning; unless it's our lady friends come back to rock us to sleep."